Kobby Acheampong must be removed or surcharged – Akomea

Former Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party has backed calls for the removal of Mr Kobby Acheampong, National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).

At worst, Nana Akomea said the GYEEDA boss must be surcharged for the cost incurred in running a full page advertisement in Daily Graphic on three occasions soliciting for bids for a GYEEDA ICT module.

In the wake of the alleged corruption that has attended the operations of GYEEDA and the calls for the programmes to be suspended, the advert became a huge source of controversy with critics wondering why such an advertisement would be running when the substantive issues of corruption were yet to be fully addressed.

The president has since ordered for the advert to be halted. His Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mahama Ayariga, told Joy News the advert was put out without the consent of the presidency or the Youth and Sports Ministry. He was however silent on whether any punitive action would be taken against Kobby Acheampong.

Speaking to Myjoyonline.com Nana Akomea said the conduct of the GYEEDA boss was unacceptable and should not be allowed to go unpunished.

"I will support the call that he should be removed," he said, adding "at the very least, Kobby Acheampong should be surcharged with the cost of the advert. This recklessness cannot be excused."

"The mandate is clear; restructure the place by retrieving the monies that have been lost and developing the law that will make it legitimate for you to get the funding for the GYEEDA projects," he indicated.

Nana Akomea could not understand why Kobby Acheampong would proceed to advertise for bids for a module under GYEEDA when he has not, at least as far as the public is aware, completed the mandate for which he was appointed.

He also expressed shock that the president, his chief of Staff, the Information Minister and his two deputies who did not see the advert prior to the reports in the media.

"What else do they see?" he questioned.

He said the GYEEDA matter is one of the reasons why the country has been branded as a "Republic of Corruption" and one must be circumspect with GYEEDA activities.

"This brazen effort to put in adverts paid with tax payers monies again without any authorization and without doing the basic things we have been told will be done is unfortunate," he stated.

He said the government must just apply the law in the implementation of the GYEEDA programme.